"Syria agrees to the Annan plan", official newspapers in Damascus said Tuesday, but added: "The opposition must respect the cessation of violence."

This plan includes a cease-fire and a "military disengagement" - which should be implemented by April 10.

Meanwhile, the leading Syrian opposition figure Riad Turk has called on opponents of the regime to accept the Annan plan to "stop the bloodshed" in Syria and to begin a national dialogue that will see the participation of officials without "bloodstained hands."

In a statement received today, Riad Turk, 82, nicknamed the 'Mandela of Syria,' recognized the need to "accept the Annan plan to stop the cycle of massacres committed by the regime forces and to place the international community about its responsibilities."

Turk, who lives in hiding in Syria, is part of the Syrian National Council (SNC) whose leaders abroad have not clearly accepted the plan of the International envoy Kofi Annan.

"To stop the bloodshed and achieve the goals of the revolution, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must relinquish power, and a national dialogue should be initiated, without excluding any of the political components of the Syrian people unless they do not have blood on their hands, "added the veteran dissident.

According to Turk, "This dialogue should lead to a transitional government" in charge of organizing "the election of a constituent assembly under Arab and international supervision, and the election of a president."

Turk, who spent over 17 years in the jails of President Hafez al-Assad, before being again imprisoned by his son, the current president, is one of the leaders of the Damascus Declaration, the main source of power to the opposition inside the country.